Just about 10 years ago I was one of the first patients to have my meniscus repaired with a special little arrow. The doctor didn't have to open up the knee but put it in all by arthroscopy. I hear they have stopped using these arrows. How come?
The meniscus arrows were one of the early devices that allowed surgeons to repair adamaged meniscus without outside sutures. They are still used by some doctors but this may be changing.
A recent study from the University of Virginia followed patients for over six years. Each one had an ACL repair along with a repair of the meniscus in the same knee. The meniscal arrow was used to close the gap caused by the tear but broke down after three years.
Patients who had a "good" result with a "successful" repair started having symptoms again between three and four years after the operation. They found an incomplete healing of the meniscal tear in all cases.
For now it looks like the standard sutures may be needed for a good long-term result.
More studies are underway to find a way to repair a torn meniscus with minimally invasive surgery.
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